The Nationals State Member for Euroa Annabelle Cleeland has slammed the Allan Labor Government following a damning new Victorian Auditor-General’s Office (VAGO) report which exposes ongoing failures in Victoria’s bushfire preparedness.
The independent report, Follow-up: Reducing Bushfire Risks, reveals that six years after major concerns were first identified, many of the same shortcomings remain unresolved, leaving regional communities exposed and undermining confidence in Victoria’s bushfire management systems.
Ms Cleeland said the findings should alarm every Victorian living in a bushfire-prone area.
“Regional communities know all too well the devastating impact bushfires can have. They expect governments to learn from past mistakes, yet this report shows the Allan Labor Government has failed to fix many of the very problems identified years ago,” Ms Cleeland said.
“The Auditor-General has found that bushfire risk may be being underestimated because the Government cannot guarantee that its modelling is accurate. That is simply unacceptable when lives, homes and livelihoods are at stake.”
The report found the Department of Energy, Environment and Climate Action had only fully completed six of the ten recommendations examined from the original 2020 audit, despite previously claiming it had completed eight.
It also found that longstanding issues with fuel hazard assessments remain unresolved, fuel reduction methods are not being consistently measured, and the Government still cannot accurately assess the effectiveness of many fuel treatment activities.
“The Allan Labor Government scrapped the previous hectare target after it was deemed by the Royal Commission’s Implementation Monitor to be ‘unaffordable, unachievable and unsustainable’. Yet the Auditor-General has now found that Labor’s replacement system still contains significant gaps, unreliable data and unverified modelling.
“After years in government, Labor still cannot accurately tell communities how effective many of its fuel reduction activities actually are.”
Ms Cleeland said the report also raises serious concerns about transparency, with both DEECA and the CFA overstating progress on implementing previous recommendations.
“The Allan Labor Government has repeatedly assured Victorians that lessons have been learned, yet this report shows progress has been overstated and critical work remains unfinished.
“Regional communities cannot afford complacency when it comes to bushfire preparedness. Every year these issues remain unresolved is another year that communities are left vulnerable.”
Ms Cleeland said Victorians deserve a bushfire management system that is transparent, evidence-based and focused on protecting lives and property.
“Regional Victorians should not have to wonder whether bushfire risk is being properly assessed or whether promised mitigation works will actually be delivered.
“After six years, the Allan Labor Government still has serious work to do to restore confidence that Victoria is genuinely prepared for future bushfire seasons.
“The devastating bushfires experienced across Victoria in January 2026 were a stark reminder that extreme fire seasons are becoming more frequent and more dangerous.
“At a time when regional communities need stronger bushfire mitigation, the Allan Labor Government has effectively decided that maintaining the full level of planned burning required is too expensive. Scaling back critical fuel reduction activities puts regional lives, homes and livelihoods at greater risk every summer.
“Victorians deserve a government that treats bushfire preparedness as an essential investment in public safety, not a cost to be cut.”
